Coin-controlled lock for dial telephones



Jan, 26, 1943 M. BRUCK 2,309,572

I COIN-CONTROLLED LOCK FO R DIAL TELEPHONES Filed Jan. 20, 1940 4 Sheets-SheetIl I H," HIIIIHIm i lllllll INVENTOR. 96 M/cv/AELB/eucK BY W2; am

A TTQRNEY M. BRugK 2,309,572

Jan. 26, 1943 Y COIN-CONTROLLED LOCK'FOR DIAL TELEPHONES 4 Sheets-Shef 5 Filed Jan. 20], 1940 INVENTOR. mm ELBEUCK- TfTORNEY Jai 26, 1943 M. BRUCK Eilqd Jan. 20, 1940 COIN-CONTROLLED LOCK FOR DIAL TELEPHONES 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 A TTORNEY Patented Jan. 26, 1943 UGLY-CONTROLLED LOCK FOR DIAL TELEPHONES Michael Bruck, Brooklyn, N. Y. Application January 20, 1940, Serial No. 314,777

7 Claims.

The invention relates to an attachment for a dial telephone, and contemplates the provision of a dial lock which may be released with the aid of either a coin or a key, or, in case of an emergency, by breaking an exchangeable member.

Another object of the invention is the provision of means whereby an inserted coin may be either deposited into a till or returned to the user of the telephone, depending on whether the telephone receiver is returned to its rest after or before the end of a predetermined time.

A further object of the invention is the pro-' vision of means for preventing a coin from being returned when the receiver is only momentarily put on its rest and lifted therefrom immediately thereafter.

A further object is the provision of a timing device controlling the depositing of a coin into the till, and also of means for starting the timing device after the dialing of a connection has been completed.

A further object is the provision of means for returning the coin, independently of the time element if certain connections are established.

Further objects and details of my invention will be apparent from the description hereafter and the accompanying drawings illustrating an embodiment thereof by way of example. In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a device according to my invention attached to a dial telephone; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the device;

Fig. 3 is a rear elevation, the back cover being removed;

Fig. 4 is a cross-section along line -i l in Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a cross-section along line 5-5 in Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a section along line fi6 in Fig. 3;

Fig. 7 is a similar section with a coin inserted into the device;

Fig. 8 is an elevation of a slide constituting the main actuating member of the device;

Fig. 9 is an elevation of a portion of the timing mechanism.

Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to the embodiment of Figs. 1 to 9, I0 is a conventional dial telephone comprising a standard H, a receiver I2, a movable receiver rest 13, a receiver fork 4, a rotatable dial disc l5, and a finger stop IS. The operative parts of my device, are disposed in a housing I! having a projection IS on the one side of its front face. The housing is open in its rear, so that the Various parts can be inserted, and a cover plate 55" it may be secured to the housing so as to close the latter. The housing is attached to the standard I I of the telephone by suitable means, e. g., a substantially U-shaped member 26 having threaded ends '2! which may be passed through suitable holes in the front-wall of the housing I? and secured thereto by means of nuts 22. It will be noticed that in the illustrated embodiment the attached housing is slightly inclined with respect to the .vertical. This is the preferred arrangement in the case of a so-called French type telephone such as shown. However, the arrangement may be different particularly in anotherkind of dial telephone, it being mateial only that a locking bar projecting from the housing, can engage one of the holes 23 in the dial disc, as will be more fully described hereinafter. One of the side walls of the housing is provided with a coin slot .24, another slot 25 for an actuating means, and a third slot 25 (Fig. 3) for th passage of returned coins. The lower portion of the housing, serving as a till 21, is accessible through a door 28, as clearly shown in Figs. 6 and '7.

Means are provided for preventing unauthor-' ized manipulation of the dial disc I15 in order to establish a connection with an outside party whereas incoming calls may be answered at any time. For this purpose, there are two ribs 29 and 3t (Fig. '2) .interiorly of the'housing portion l8 and having holes .3! and .32 respectively, in line with a hole 33 in the front wall thereof, in which holes a locking baror bolt 34 is longitudinally movable, so as to enter into one of the dial disc holes 23 when projected. A spring 35 bears with its one end against rib .29 and with its other end against .a washer .36 which in turn bears against a vpin .37 passed through bolt 34 so that spring 35 tends .to withdraw bolt 34 from looking position. A movable detent or latch 38 is provided inthe path of the bolt 34 to hold the latter in locking engagement with the dial disc when other means hereinafter described release their hold on the bolt 34. Latch 38 is pivoted at 39 and so weighted that it tends to turn in a clockwise direction in Fig. 2, whereby the rear end of bolt 34 can engage the front end of the latch 38 when thelatter rests with its lower rear portion on a suitable stop. Emergency means are provided which are operative .to release the latch when neither a coin nor a key is available for operating the latch in the normal manner describedhereinafter. In the illustrated embodi- .ment said stop is so constructed as to serve as such emergency means. It consists of a spring 40 wound about a fixed pin H and bearing with one of its ends against the wall of the housing and with its other end against the edge 42 of a glass plate 43 which is held by suitable means 43' in the rear of a window opening 44 in the wall of the housing 11. Now, it will be apparent that spring 40 will be freed when the glass plate 43 is broken in a case of emergency, and will swing latch 28 in an anti-clockwise direction so as to move out of the path of bolt 34 which, then, may be withdrawn from its locking position, by spring 35. By insertion of another glass plate 53, the normal condition shown in Fig. 2 can be reestablished. In a similar manner, latch 38 may be turned by means of a suitable key (not shown) inserted through key hole I31 and engaging projection I32 of latch 38.

Means are provided for shifting bolt 34 into locking position in response to a downward movement of the receiver rest 13, which occurs when the receiver lifted from its rest is returned thereto. Such means comprises a member which, in any suitable manner, is operatively connected to the receiver rest so as to follow its movement. In the illustrated embodiment there is a lever 45 pivoted at 46 and having an upwardly bent arm 41 which projects through a hole' 13 in the top of the housing portion l8 and also through a hole 29 that is generally provided in the bottom of the receiver fork M and laterally of the vertical axis of the movable receiver rest 13. A spring 50 is so arranged on the pivot pin 46 as to urge the free end of lever arm 41 against the lower side of the receiver rest 13. Near the other end of arm 41, lever 45 has a lateral projection bearing on the one arm 52 of a bell crank lever 53'which is pivoted at 54. The other arm 55 of bell crank lever 53 engages in a lateral recess 56 of bolt 34, the recess being long enough to allow for a lost motion of arm 55 relatively to bolt 34. Now, it will be apparent that the weight of the receiver i2 placed on the rest 13 urges arm 41 downward against the restraint of spring 50, thereby causing bell crank lever 53 to push bolt 34 into locking position and to hold it in such position, against the restraint of spring 35. When the receiver 12 is lifted from its rest the connection of the parts may be interrupted either by disengagement of arm 52 from projection 51 or of arm 55 from the front wall of recess 56 so that spring 35 will withdraw bolt 34 to bear against latch 38. However, this movement of bolt 34 is insufiicient to release the dial disc 15.

Actuating means operative with the aid of an inserted coin are provided to disengage latch 38, to set a timing device, to deposit the coin on supports so that the coin may be selectively dropped in the till or returned to the user of the apparatus, and for other purposes to be described hereinafter. In the illustrated form the actuating member consists of a slide 51 shown in detail in Fig. 8. Slide 51 is movable upand downward, in a channel 58 which comprises parallel walls 59 and 60 secured to the housing 11 by means of flanges 6| (Fig. 5). Intermediate the ends of channel 58, a chute 52 is branched off which is formed by walls 60 and 63. A tongue-like portion 64 is bent off the wall 59 so that the lower edge of tongue 54 is close to the lower edge 65 of a recess 66 in wall 60 as clearly shown in Fig. 6. Similarly, an inclined wall portion 61 extends from the upper edge of recess 66 to the upper end of wall 63. The side wall of channel 58 is provided with a slot 58 (see Figs. 5 and 8) in registry with the slot 24 of the housing l1. Slide 51 is preferably made of a piece of sheet metal having a thickness similar to that of the type of coin to be used in the apparatus. A lower corner of slide 51 is bent off so as to form a grip 10 projecting through slot 11 between the walls 69 and 53 and through slot 25 in the wall of the housing 11 as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. A pin 12 is secured to slide 51 and projects through a vertical slot 13 in the wall 59. Another pin 14 (Fig. '1) is secured to the top end of wall 59, and a tension spring 15 is attached to both said pins 12 and 14 so as to pull the slide 51 into its topmost position. The slide 51 is provided with a main recess 16 so shaped as to receive therein a coin inserted through the slots 2 1 and 88 when the recess 16 is in registry with these slots as it is the case in the topmost position of the slide, shown in Fig. 8. A so inserted coin will come to rest mainly on the edge portions 11 and 18 of the recess 15. The latter is further provided with a lower extension 19 to receive therein the tongue 64 of the channel wall 59 so that the slide may travel within the channel 58 without being hampered by said tongue. If, now, slide 51 with a coin is pulled downward with the aid of grip 1D, the coin will engage tongue 64 and will be removed by the latter from the slide to be dropped into the chute 62.

For the reasons to be explained hereinafter, it is desirable that the slide cannot return to its topmost position under the action of spring 15 unless it has previously reached its lowermost position. In order to insure such operation, the rim of the slide, opposite the grip 10 is provided with two substantially square recesses 81 and 82 spaced from each other the length of the desired stroke of the slide. Intermediate these square recesses, there are triangular recesses 83 of smaller depth. A detent 84 is pivoted at 85 and provided with a spring 86 which is so arranged as to hold the detent projecting through an opening 81 in the chute wall, and in engagement with the recessed slide rim.

Now, it will be apparent that the slide 51 .can reverse its direction only when the detent 84 projects into one of the deeper square recesses whereas the detent will be directed either upward or downward in one of the shallower recesses 83, thus preventing the slide from reversing its movement which caused the detent to enter such shallower recess.

Above grip 10, another portion of the slide is bent in the opposite direction to form a projection 88 adapted to engage a member 89 slidably arranged between the wall of the housing l1 and a bent portion 90 of the chute wall 59, as clearly shown in Fig. 2, and to raise or lower it when projection 88 engages abutment 9| of member 89 on the upward stroke of slide 51, or abutment 92 on the downward stroke. The abutments are so spaced from each other that member 89 will be shifted only when the slide is approaching its end positions. Member 89 has a lower extension 93 so arranged that it will bear on the top of the forward end of latch 38 and swing it into released position when the member 89 is pushed downward, whereas extension 3 is above the path of the rear endof bolt 34 when member 89 is in its topmost position. If, now, the receiver I2 is lifted from its rest in Fig. 2 so that bolt 34 bears against latch 38, and if, then, member 89 is pushed downward by slide 51, the extension 33 will turn latch 33' in an anti-clockwise direction so as to release the bolt 34. Thereupon, the spring 35 will pull the .bolt back until its rear end sliding on top of the front .part of latch 38 abuts against the extension 93'. In this position the bolt 33 is still in engagement with the dial disc I5. However, as soon as slide 57 on its upwards stroke has lifted'member 89 with extension 93 sufiiciently to clear the bolt, the latter will slide completely backward into its inoperative position while the forward end of the latch 38 is held down by the lower side of the bolt 33.

Another projection 94 at the top of slide serves to set a timing device in general denoted by 95 which now will be described with reference to Fig. 3. A cylinder 93 is mounted on a ledge 96 of the housing i! and secured thereto by screws 97. A cover 99 is attached to the cylinder, e. g., by a pin and slot connection as indicated at I03 in Fig. 3. A piston IOI provided with a number of relatively large holes 132 is secured to a piston rod I 33 and movable within cylinder 33. Below piston I3I, piston rod I93 hasan extension I 04 which carries a valve disc Iii?! provided with narrow holes I 33 in registry with holes I32 of the piston. Disc I35 is adapted to seat against the lower face of piston IOI, and on the other hand, to move a short distance in axial direction away from the piston. A spring L3? is so arranged as to urge the piston downward. Thus, in raising the piston, only a very small resistance will be experienced owing to the liquid passing through the holes I02 and, then, around the periphery of the valve disc I35, whereas, when the piston is forced downward, the liquid has to pass through the small holes I E6 of the valve disc. By suitably selecting the dimensions of the spring I ill and of the holes I 33 the time can be predetermined which will be required for the complete downward stroke of the piston. A roller Hi9 is secured to the top end of rod I33 by suitable means, e. g., pin I38, and bears on the end H!) of a lever III pivoted at II2 on bracket M3, the latter being secured to a stationary part of the device, 6. g., the chute wall 33. The other end I I4 of lever I I I is so arranged as to bear against the lower face of the projection 33 of slide 5?. A slot H5 in the chute walls 35 and 63 permits the projection 93 to pass as far downward as required in view of the length of the stroke of slide 51. Now, it will be apparent hat piston I 3! will be riased to its topmost position, when the slide 5! is pulled downward, and that, upon release of the slide 51 for its return movement, the piston IliI will be lowered under the action of spring It? and that it will reach its lowermost position within a predetermined time after separation of the lever arm II4 from projection 9-3 at the beginning of the upward movement of slide 57.

For a purpose to be explained hereinafter, a retarding device is provided in connection with the timing device 35. In the illustrated embodiment, the retarding device comprises an angular member 5 I6 having a leg I I? which extends substantially parallel to the axis of cylinder 98. Member H5 is secured to the top end of the piston rod 33 and leg II! is guided by suitable means as indicated at H8. As clearly shown in Figs. 3 and 9, leg IE! is provided with an indentation Ill, and below this indentation, with recesses H3, thus having a comb-like shape. The recessed portion is doubled by another comblike piece I 23 as shown in Fig. 9 and which is spaced from the leg i I I a distance approximately 3 equal to the width of the recesses II 9. The top end I2I of piece I20 is slantingly bent towards the lower end of theindentation I ll" and secured to leg II 1, e. g., by welding, and the recesses I22 of piece I 20 are provided in staggered relation to the recesses II9. Piece I23 may be L-shaped in cross-section in order to be welded to leg II'I along its entire length.

Slide 57 is provided also with a recess I23 (Fig. 3) for a coin-released detent I24. A pivot pin I25 for the detent is secured to the rear side of the inclined wall portion 51. The lower end of detent I24 is hook-shaped at I26 and the upper end has the shape of a projecting tongue I21 (Fig. 6). The hook I26 is arranged opposite a recess I28 in the wall 63 which recess is shorter than the recess I23 in the slide as clearly shown in Fig. 3. The upper portion of detent I24 is operative in a recess I29 in the wall portion 61 opposite the recess I9 of the slide. A spring I36 is so arranged as to urge the hook I23 into engagement with the slide recess I 23 should the weight distribution of the detent be not sufiicient to cause the required tendency of the detent to fall into locking position. Now, it will be apparent that the detent I24 projecting through recess 28 in wall 63 and engaging recess I23 in slide 5'! will permit only a very short downward movement of the slide 51 owing to the limited length of recess I23. If, however, as indicated in Fig. 6, a coin 83 is inserted, the lower edge of such coin will engage tongue I21 when the slide 51 is pulled downward as far as recess l23 permits such movement. Thereby, detent i2? will be swung in anti-clockwise direction in Fig. 6 so that the hook I26 leaves both the recesses E28 and I23, and the slide can continue its downward movement. The detent will fall back to lock the slide when recess I23 comes into registry with recess I28 on the return stroke of the slide.

It has been shown how a coin inserted into the apparatus will be transferred into chute 62. In this chute the coin will be temporarily held in a position in Figs. 3 and '7 by means hereinafter described. Opposite the chute space occupied by the coin in position 36, there is a recess I 35 through which the lower end 933 of a lever I37 may project into the chute 52. Lever I31 is pivoted at I38 on the rear side of wall I53. Its upper end I 39 is formed as a plate or the like, which, in the position of Fig. 6 prevents a coin 88 inserted into the apparatus from passing through an upper recess Hi3 of chute wall Ell, whereas the plate I39 in the position of Fig. 7 will direct an inserted coin through the recess I 33 into the space in the rear of wall 63 as will be more fully described hereinafter. Recess I40 is in registry with recess I'Ii of the slide when the latter is in its topmost position. Opposite recess I 40, there is another recess ii in the wall 59 of smaller size but suificiently wide to receive therein the plate I39. Thearrangement is such that plate I39 is flush with the inner side of wall Bil, and that the lower end projects into chute 62 when no coin is in the position 83. This is shown in Fig. 6, where a coin at 80 will be correctly guided by plate I39 on its downward movement with slide 57. If, however, a coin is in the position 83 in Fig. '7, it urges the low-er lever end I36 towards the right with the result that plate I39 takes an inclined position in recess I4I. Thus, any coin subsequently inserted in case the toll ismore than one coin will be diverted to leave .the chute 58 and 's1ide'5l through recess I40 of wall 60, and to drop into the till 21. The pivot hole I42 in the lever I31 is elongatedso that the lever may be swung out of the way of the upper rim of slide 51 when the latter returns to its topmost position. A spring I38 is so arranged as to eXert a torque on the lever in a clockwise direction in Fig. '7 and co-incidentally to urge the lever to bear against pivot I38 with the right hand end of its elongated hole I42. In connection with lever I31 and its operation, it should be noted that the apparatus, according to my invention, is not in general intended for public use. For this reason, it is sufiicient to provide locking means which respond to the insertion of only one coin corresponding to the local call toll, and, in addition thereto, means as hereinabove described to prevent disturbance of the normal operation of the apparatus if other coin-s are subsequently inserted in payment case of a long distance call.

The means will now be described for temporarily supporting a coin in th chute 52 and for selectively returning it or depositing it in the till according to whether the receiver is restored to its rest before or after the end of a predetermined time. Two brackets IIl (Fig. 3) are secured to the rear chute wall 63, for instance, by welding. The brackets carry an axle I5I. Two substantially U-shaped members I52 and I53 are rotatably mounted on axle I5I, and adapted to project with their heads I54 and I55 respectively of one of their legs through recesses I56 and I51 in the Wall 63 into the interior of chute 52. The other leg of member adapted to bear against the comb-like leg II1 on that side to which the piece I is attached as shown in Fig. 9. The length and thickness of the pin I58 are such that the pin may pass through the recesses I22, and II9 and also through the space between the piece I29 and leg lI1. Member I53 carries a pin I59 secured to the rear portion of its head I55, which pin is adapted to bear against the piece I25 or, on top of the latter, against leg H1. The length of pin I59, however, is larger than the depth of the recesses I22, and H9. Thus, pin I59 cannot pass from the one 'de of the comb-like member to the other one. A spring I is so wound on axle I5I and attached to members I52 and IE3,

that it tends to urge head I54 into the chute 82. This movement is limited when member I52 abuts against the lower rim of recess I55. Coincident-ally, spring I80 tends to urge head I55 of member I53 rearward, i. e., out of chute 62, I

the movement of member I53 being limited by pin I59 bearing against the bottom of the indentation II1 of the comb-like member. The heads I54 and I55. when projecting into chute 62 serve to support temporarily a coin dropped into said chute. For this reason the heads I54 and I55 will be termed hereinafter as supports. As will be apparent from Fig. 3, the chute '62 is wider than the coin diameter, and in fact so much wider, that a coin may roll down towards the left (in Fig. 3) from the support I55 when the support I54 is withdrawn from the chute 62, and that the coin may roll down on the right-hand side when support I55 is withdrawn. Withdrawal of support I54 will result in that the coin dropping on the left side will strikethe inclined bottom wall I6I of the chute and roll through slot 26 into the holder I62 at the outside of the apparatus. If, on the other hand, support I55 will be withdrawn while support I54 is in operafor the higher charge in the v I52 carries a pin I58 tive position, the coin rolling off support I54 towards the right hand side will drop into the till 21 through the lower chute opening which extends from the side wall edge I63 to the edge I6I of the short bottom wall I6I'. Even if the coin rolling off support I54 when support I55 is withdrawn hits the edge IIiI, it will receive an impetus towards the right side rather than towards the passage for the coin return owing to the arrangement of the edge I6I on the lefthand side of the vertical center line of the chute. Fig. 9 shows pin I59 when the piston IOI of the timing device is in its lowest position. In this position, which corresponds to that of Fig. 6, support I55 is withdrawn from chute 62. If, however, the piston is caused to start its upward movement, the inclined portion I2I of leg II1 immediately forces pin I59 towards the left-hand side in Fig. 9 against the restraint of spring I60 with the result that support I55 enters the chute 62 as shown in Fig. '1. From there on until the piston has completed its upward as well as its downward stroke, the support I55 is held within the chute by pin I59 bearing against the side of the comb piece I20. Only at the end of the downward stroke when pin I59 returns to its original position, by sliding along the inclined face I2I of leg II1 into the latters indentation II1', will spring I60 withdraw support I55 from its operative position. Consequently, a coin temporarily supported by supports I54 and I55 will be deposited into the till 21 only after the timing device has run down.

Means are provided in connection with the other support I54 to withdraw it so as to return the temporarily supported coin when the receiver is put back on its rest prior to the end of the operation of the timing device, and to retard the withdrawal of the support I54 sufficiently long to insure disconnection of the telephone apparatus. The object of the mentioned means is to prevent the coin from being returned through an only momentary replacement of the receiver, while the connection with the called party is still established, in other words, to prevent the return of a coin which should be correctly deposited in the till for an established and consummated telephone connection. In the illustrated embodiment, the mechanism (Fig. 2) for tripping the support I54 is connected with the lever 45 which responds to the movement of the receiver rest I3, and which, for the indicated purpose, has an arm I65 with an abutment I66. A link 161 is pivoted to arm I55 at I68, and a spring I69is so arranged as to urge link I61 against the abutment I66. The free end of link I61 is provided with an abutment I10 and a pivot pin I1I to which a pawl I12 is attached. A spring I13 connected to pawl I12 and link I61 tends to turn the pawl I12 so as to engage the abutment I16. The free end I14 of the pawl is adapted to engage a shoulder I15 of member I52 from below and, when moving upward, to tilt member I52 sufiiciently to permit the pawl to slip off shoulder I15 and to pass it so as to reach the position shown in Fig. 2. When th pawl I12 moves downward the projection of member I52 which forms the shoulder I15 will urge the pawl to swing about pin I1I against the restraint of spring I12 until its end I14 is free to take its lower end position underneath the shoulder I15. Now, it will be apparent from Fig. 2 that, upon lifting of the receiver I2, receiver rest I3 will move upward owing to the action of the conventional telephone mechanism (not shown) and 1e-- ver 45 following such movement owing to the action of spring 59 will turn in a clockwise direction. Consequently, link I61 abutting against abutment I66, and pawl I12 will be moved downward. In the course of this movement, the end I14 of the pawl I12 will slide over the projection which forms the shoulder i-15 of member I52. When arm 41 of lever 45 has reached its topmost position, the pawl end I14 will be located below shoulder I15 and will be pulled against abutment I10 by spring I15, while member I 52, owing to the restraint of spring I55, remains in its position in which the support i 3 projects into the chute 62. If, now, the receiver is restored to its rest I3, and, at that time, pin I58 is opposite a tooth between two subsequent recesses I22 of the comb-like piece I29, then lever 45 will be turned in anti-clockwise direction, thereby lifting link I61 and tending to tilt the member I52 with the aid of pawl I12 which engages shoulder I15. Member I52 being prevented from turning, owing to the position of pin I58 in relation-to the comb, link I61 and pawl I12 will be dis-engaged from their respective abutments I66 and I19 thereby tensioning springs I69 and I13. If, however, at the time when the receiver is restored to its rest I3, the comb-like member 1' is moving downward, owing to the operation of the timing device 95, then the tensions of the springs I69 and I13 will overcome the restraint of spring I60 as soon as pin- I53 is in registry with one of the recesses I22 of comb-like piece I 20, with the result that member I52 can be turned until pin I58 abuts against the tooth of member II 1 opposite the recess I22- through which the pin has slipped. This movement, however, is insufiicient to withdraw support I54 completely from chute 52'. The position in which pin I58 abuts against a tooth between two recesses N9 of member II1 may be directly reached when at the time the receiver is restored, pinv I58 is just opposite a recess I22 rather than opposite a tooth between two recesses I22 as h-ereinbefore assumed. In that event, the pin I58 will immediately pass through the pertaining recess I22 to engage the tooth Which is in registry with said recess I22 and between two recesses 9-. Complete withdrawal of support I 54 occurs when upon further downward movement of the comb-like member II1, pin I58 is in registry with a subsequent recess N9 of member I I1, so that it may pass therethrough. Now, the member I52 will be turned far enough to be withdrawn completely from chute 62, and, furthermore, to permit pawl end I1 4 to slip upwards from underneath shoulder I15 into its inoperative position as shown in Fig. 2-. Thereafter, spring I60 will tendto return member I52 into its supporting position in the chute 62. In order to do so, pin I58 has to pass the comblike member in a manner similar to that described, but in the opposite direction. Since it may happen, that this takes place when thetiming device and the retarding device constituted by the comb-like member have reached or are approaching the lowermost position, or that the receiver has been taken from its rest and returned thereto before the timing device is set for operation by manipulation of the slide 51, the topmost recesses 9m and I22a are arranged on a circle with a radius equal to the distance of the axle. I5I from pin. I58 rather than in staggered relation as the recesses I I9 and I22. Consequently, pin I58 can freely move from the position at the. left side of the comb in Fig. 9' to 5 the position I58'a and back again whenever the timing and retarding device is in its lowermost position. Now, it will be apparent that a coin supported on supports i 54 and I55 will be deposited in the till when the timing device has run off prior to the receiverbeing returned to its res so that pin I59 has settled in the indentation II 1'. If, however, the receiver is returned to its rest before support I55 has been withdrawn from the chute, the coin will be returned as hereinbefore described. In connection with the dimensioning of the retarding device, the following points should be noted: The spacing of the two comb parts H1 and I29'plus the thi'cknessof the member I29 should be less than the distance pin I58 has to travel in order to cause the complete withdrawal of support I54. With a View to attaining proper relations the thicknessof the pin and its distance from pivot I5 I should be correctly chosen. Furthermore, the relative location of indentation II 1' and the topmost recess I22a of member I25 should be such that pin I59 reaches the position in which support I 55. isicompletely withdrawn from the chute 62, very shortly before the end of the downward stroke of the timing device, whereas recess I 22a reaches pin I 58 coincidentally with the end of said stroke.

From the foregoing description, it will be clear that only'one of thesupp'orts I54 and I55) can. be withdrawn from the chute at a time, because withdrawal of support I55 occurs only when the timer piston IIII is in its lowermost position whereas withdrawal of the support I54 can practically occur only while the piston ismoving' during its downward stroke; Furthermore, it will be noticed that spring I60 tends to urge support I54 into and support I55 out of the chute and that mechanical means are provided to counteract such tendency, namely, the inclined surface I2I and side wall of comb H1 in cooperation with pin I59 to urge the support I55 into the chute during the operation of the timing device, and the pawl I12 and, accessorial parts to swing. support I54 out of engagement with the chute during the time pawl end I14 exercises a lifting-force on the shoulder I15 of member I 52*.

The described apparatus operates as follows:

Before the apparatus is used, the parts are in the position shown in Figs. 2, 3, 6, and 9-, that is to say: the receiver I2- is on its restl9, bolt 34 engages disc I5, slide 51 is in topmost position, the timing device and the comb '1 are intheir lowermost position, plate- I39 is flush with chute wall 60, support I54- projects into chute 62 from which support I55 is withdrawn, and hook I26 projects into recesses I28 and I23, preventing unauthorized operation of slide; 51'. Now, the user may first take the receiver I2 from its rest I3. In consequence thereof, the lever 45 will swing in clockwise direction in Fig. 2, thereby releasing its pressure on the arm 52 of bell crank lever 53 and pulling pawl I-12 downward into a position underneath shoulder I15, of member I52. Thereupon, the user will insert a suitable coin through slot 24. The coin will be seated on the rim portions 11 and 18' of slide 51 and will be held in upright position by chute wall 59 and plate I39. Then, the user will take hold of grip 10 and pull slide 51 downward. When, shortly after the beginning of such movement, the coin engages tongue I21 thereby withdrawing the hook I26 from recess I23, slide 51 can continue its downward stroke. When the lower rim of the coin reaches the inclined tongue 64, it is deflected into chute 62. However, before this happens, the slide projection 94 bearing on the arm II4 of lever III will have raised'the timing and retarding device sufliciently far to urge member I53 with support I55 into supporting position in chute 62 owing to pin I59 being urged by the inclined portion I2I toward the left-hand side of the comb member in Fig. 9. Thus, the coin comes to rest on both supports I54 and I55 in the position 89 in Fig. 3, in which it has turned lever I31, by engaging projection I36, in anti-clockwise direction so that plate I39 is in the position of Fig. '1 to defiect any subsequently inserted coins through recess I46 into the till 21. Completing its downward movement, slide 51 with projection 88 will engage the projecting shoulder 92 of member 89 which will be taken along so as to engage and turn latch 38 in anti-clockwise direction in Fig. 2 whereupon bolt 34 will'slide backward owin to the action of spring 35 to bear against the lower end 93 of member 89 without, however, releasing its hold on the dial disc I5. Coincidentally, the upward movement of the timing and retarding device has been completed so that the pins I58 and I59, one above the other, bear against the lower end of the comb-like member I26. Thereafter, the user will release slide 51, so that the latter can be pulled upward by spring 15. At once, projection II4 of lever III will be disengaged from slide projection 94, and pis-' ton III] of the timing start its own movement under the action of spring I91 and according to the cross-section of the valving apertures I96 which are dimensioned for a predetermined length of time of the downward stroke, say 35 seconds. This length of time is considered sufficient to dial a partys number, and to restore the receiver to its rest for the return of the coin if either the busy signal is given or the called party does not answer. In the courseof its upward movement, projec-' tion 88 engaging shoulder 9| will raise member 89 whereupon bolt 34 will slide backward as far as the bell crank lever 53 permits, thereby releasing dial disc I5. When the upper portion of slide 51 passes the lower edge of plate I39, it forces lever I31 backward against the restraint of spring I38 until plate I39 can fall back into the position of Fig. '7 owing to the recess 16 in slide 51.' Approximately at the same time, recess I23 will be in registry with recess I28 so that hook I26 will return to its locking position with respect to slide 51. During the downward as well as during the upward stroke, slide 51 is prevented from reversing its movement, by virtue of the mechanism 8| to 81, hereinbefore described, so that the completion of the required operations is safeguarded. As soon as the bolt has been withdrawn from locking-position, the user may dial the desired number. If the receiver is restored to'its rest before the end of the running time of the timing device, the coin will be returned in the manner hereinbefore described by an oscillatory movement of the member I52, caused by lever 45 with link I61, and pawl I12 in the one direction, and spring I65 in the other direction. This movement is retarded by the interaction of pin I58 and the comb-like members II1, I20. Simultaneously, however, with the returning of the receiver, bolt 34 is pushed into locking position by lever 45 acting on bell crank lever 53. At the end of the running period of the timing device, the member I53 with support I55 will be withdrawn from chute 62 when pin I59 enters the indentadevice will independently tion I I1. If the receiver has not been returned before the end of said period, the coin will be dropped into the till. As soon as the coin has left its temporary position on the supports in chute 62, lever I31 will be swung back into the position of Fig. 6, whereupon the slide 51 is ready to receive another coin.

Hitherto, it has been assumed that the user will first take up the receiver and, then, insert a coin and manipulate the slide 51. If the reversed sequence is chosen, the slide 51 will cause the same operations as hereinbeiore described. However, the subsequent lifting of the receiver off its rest will not cause the withdrawal of bolt 34, because latch 38 removed from operative position on the downward stroke of the slide will have returned to its locking position on the return stroke of the slide. Consequently, the user will be compelled to put the receiver back on its rest with the result that support I54 will be operated and the coin returned. Furthermore, it will be noticed that incoming calls may be answered at any time, because on the one hand, they do not require manipulation of the dial, and on the other hand, the mere liftin and returning of the receiver will cause only an oscillating movement of the support I54. 'Additional means have been described to accomplish outgoing calls either with the aid of a key or by breaking a readily replaceable part if no coin is available.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in the specific form of my novel apparatus, particularly in the arrangement and configuration of the several parts thereof, may be made without departing from my invention. I desire it to be understood that my invention is limited, not by the particular disclosure of the specific embodiment thereof illustrated and described hereinabove, but by the scope of the appended claims, it being recognized by me that various changes in addition to those hereinabove suggested and indicated, may be made in the construction and operation of my apparatus.

I claim:

1. In a coin-controlled locking attachment for a dial telephone including a receiver, a receiver rest, and a dial disc, the combination of a locking member to lock said disc against rotation, a till,

a coin passage having a first and a second opening towards the outside of said attachment for insertion and return respectively of a coin and a third one towards said till, a timing device, a

mechanism including a movable and manually actuated member to cause withdrawal of said locking member from locking position, said manually actuated member being operatively connected with said timing device so as to set the latter for operation, a detent for holding said movable member in inoperative position, said detent projecting into said passage so as to be removed from its holding position by a coin passing through said passage, movable supporting means adapted to project into said passage so as to receive a coin having passed said detent, means under the control of said timing device for moving a portion of said supporting means in one manner out of its supporting position so as to constitute a coin guide towards said till, a second mechanism operable by said receiver rest upon the receiver being placed thereon for moving said locking member into locking position and for moving another portion of said supporting means in another manner out of its supporting position so as 'toconstitute av coiniguide; towards said second opening of the passage, and. a retarding device for retarding the movement of said supporting means when it is moved in said other manner.

2. In a coin-controlled locking attachment for a dial telephone including a receiver, a receiver rest, and a dial disc, the combination of alocking member to lock said disc against rotation, a till, a coin passage haVing a first and a second opening towards the outside of said attachment for insertion and return respectively of a coin and a third one towards said till, a timing device, a mechanism including a movable and manually actuated member to cause withdrawal of said locking member, a lost motion connection of said movable member with'said timing device whereby said movable member is adapted to set said timing device for operation during the forward stroke of said movable member and to permit said timing device to start running on the return stroke of said movable member, a detent for holding said movable member in inoperative position, said detent projecting into said passage so as to be removed from its holding position by a coin passing through said passage, movable supporting means adapted to project into said passage so as to receive a coin having passed said detent, means under the control of said timing device for moving a portion of said supporting means in one manner out of its supporting position so as to constitute a coin guide towards said till, a second mechanism operable by said receiver rest upon the receiver being placed thereon for moving said locking member into locking position and for moving another portion of said supporting means in another manner out of its supporting position so as to constitute a coin guide towards said second opening of the passage, and a retarding device in operative connection with said other portion of said supporting means for retarding its movement in said other manner.

3. In a coin-controlled locking attachment for a dial telephone including a receiver, a receiverrest, and a dial disc, the combination of a looking member to lock said disc against rotation, a spring in engagement with said locking member and tending to withdraw the latter from looking position, a latch adapted to hold said locking member in locking position, a till, a coin passage having a first and a second opening towards the outside of said attachment for insertion and return respectively of a coin and a third one towards said till, a timing device, a movable and manually actuated member, lost motion connections of said movable member with said latch and with said timing device whereby said movable member is adapted to set said timing device for operation during the forward stroke of said movable member and to release said locking member and to start runnin of said timing device on the return stroke of said movable member, a detent for holding said movable member in inoperative position, said detent projecting into said passage so as to be removed from its holding position by a coin passing through said passage, first and second individually movable supporting members, said supporting members having a position in which they project into said coin passage so as to co-operate in forming a support for a coin having passed said detent, said first supporting member when in operative position obstructing said third opening, said second supporting member when in operative position obstructing said second opening, means operable by saidv timing device to remove said first supporting member from its. operative position, and means operable by said receiver rest upon the re.- ceiver being placed thereon for removing said second supporting means from its supporting position and for returning said locking member into its locking position.

4. In a coin-controlled locking attachment for a dial telephone including a receiver, a movable receiver rest, and a dial disc, the combination of a locking member to lock said disc againstrotation, a springin engagementwith said locking member and tending to withdraw the latter from locking position, a till, a coin passage having a first and a second opening towards the outside of said attachment for insertion and return re spectively of a coin and a third one towards said till, a timing device, a movable and manually actuated member projecting into said passage so as to receive an inserted coin, a detent means to hold said movable member in its inoperative position, said detent means projecting into said passage so as to be engaged and removed from holding position by said coin received by said movable member when the latter is actuated, said movable member being operatively connected with said timing device so as to set and to start the latter, first and second individual-1y movable supporting members, said supporting members having a position in which they project into said passage so as to receive and co-operatively support said coin released from said movable member, said first supporting member when in operative position, obstructing said third opening, said second supporting member when in operative position obstructing said second opening, means in connection with and operable by said timing device to remove said first supporting member from its operative position, means operatively connected to said second supporting means and said locking member and in engagement with said receiver rest to remove said second supporting means from its supporting position and to return said locking member into its locking position when the receiver is placed on said rest, and a retarding device in engagement with said second supporting member, said retarding device having shorter delaying action than the running time of said timing device for the first supporting member for retarding the removal of said second supporting member.

5. An apparatus as claimed in claim 4 in which said retarding device comprises a member including two spaced sets of teeth in parallel planes the teeth of the one set being arranged opposite the intervals between the teeth of the other set, said second support including a pin, and said means for moving said second support out of its operative position being adapted to urge said pin resiliently against said toothed member, whereby said pin can pass through an interval between two teeth of the first set when the pin is opposite such interval, and through the consecutive interval between the teeth of the second set when the toothed member has been sufi'iciently advanced to bring said consecutive interval opposite said pin.

6. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a spring adapted to urge said other portion of said supporting means into its operative position, said means for removing said other portion of said supporting means out of its operative position including a resiliently movable member and a pawl resiliently connected to said memher, and said other portion of said supporting a latch for holding said member in looking posimeans including an abutment, said pawl being tion and removable from operative position by a adapted to engage said abutment when said other coin controlled mechanism, said latch including portion of said supporting means is in its operameans tending to move said latch into operative tive position, and to pass beyond said abutment 5 position, a breakable fixed part accessible from when said other portion of said supporting means the outside of the apparatus, a second tensioned has reached its inoperative position, whereby spring bearing against said breakable part so as said spring will return said other portion of said to constitute an abutment for said latch in operasupporting means into operative position. tive position of the latter, whereby said spring '7. In an apparatus of the type described the 10 when released from restraint owing to a destruccombination of a member for looking a telephone tion of said breakable member will urge said latch dial disc against rotation, a spring tending to into inoperative position.

withdraw said member from its locking position, MICHAEL BRUCK. 

